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NAT. GEOG. MAG. 



VOL. VI, 1894, PL. 9. 




DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



The figure.s on the border show the numbers of the milestones marUinsr the lioiimiary ami their 
ilistanees apart in feet. One mile equals 5,28t) feet. 

A = Capitol stone.— South of the White House and west of the south end of the old Caintol. . Un- 
dressed and unmarked sandstone, about 4 feet high, set in 1804, now gone and site unmarked. 

B = Jefferson stone. -South of center of White House and west of center of Capitol. A "freestone 
obelisk," set in 1804, 175 feet S% inehe.s north of the Capitol stone : said to be now used as a hitching 
post at the Reform school. Site now marked by a granite post tiush with sod in the Monument lot. 

(; = Center of the original Disirict of Columbia.— It is near the corner of Seventeenth and C streets, 
being 1,305 feet north and 1,579 feet west of the Washington monument. 

D = Stake at intersection of " Sixteenth and northern edgr of north I street " — Set in ISiil. Whether still 
in |ilace is not known. 

Meridian Hill—".\. freestone obelisk," set in 1804, " to mark the initial meridian for longitudes in 
the United States." Stone gone and site unmarked. Stone said to tie in use as a carriage step at 
Fijin-toMith and R streets; also Hiud to be in use a'; a hitchin;; po-^t at the Heform school. 



' \ 



\ 



Vol. VI, pp. 149-178, PL. 9 November i, 1894 

THE 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



SURVEYS AND MAPS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 



MARCUS BAKER 



(Presented before the Society March 23, 1S94.) 



On the loth of ApriL 1791, there was Laid, with solemn and 
elaborate masonic ceremonial, the corner stone of the District of 
Columbia. This stone, still standing, though hidden from view, 
forms a part of the foundation wall of the lighthouse at Jones 
point, near Alexandria, Virginia. It is under the gateway in 
front of the south door of the lighthouse. The long and tedious 
discussion which led to the selection of a district, not to exceed 
ten miles square, on the banks of the Potomac, between its Eastern 
branch and the Conogocheague, does not belong to the present 
theme. It suffices to say that selection had been made by act of 
Congress July 16, 1790. Under this authority President Wash- 
ington directed a preliminary or provisional survey of the area to 
be taken for the Federal Government. This preliminary survey 
he directed should begin at a point on Hunting creek determined 

21— Nat. Geoo. Mag., vol. VI, 1894. (149) 



loO M. linker — Sutvci/k and Mapfi, District of Columbia. 

liy vunnini:; a line from Alexamlria rourthou.'^e soiitlnvcstward 
half a mile and thence southeastward to the northern shore of 
Hunting creek. From the point so found a tract substantially 
like the District of Columbia as it existed prior to the retroces- 
sion of Alexandria county to Virpinia, in 1846, was selected; 
but this tract included a portion of Maryland lying sotdh of the 
Eastern branch of the Potomac, or Anacostia river, and could 
not be taken under the terms of the act, which provided that the 
Federal territory should lie wholly north of the Eastern l)ranch. 
This Itcing reported to Congress, an amended act was promptly 
passed authorizing the boundaries of the District as originally 
laid out. Washington then gave directions for running the de- 
finitive Ijoundary lines. As is well known, ^Vashi^gton was a 
surveyor, and therefore well qualified to draw uj) instructions to 
surveyors. It is interesting to (juote his language : 

Now, therefore, for the imriioee of amending and completing tlie loca- 
tion of the whole of said territory of ten miles square, in conformity 
with the said amendatmy act of Congress, I do hereby declare and make 
known that the whole of said territory shall l)e located and included 
within the four lines following, that is to say : 

Beginning at Jones point, being the U])per cape of Hunting creek, in 
Virginia, and at an angle in the outset of forty-five degrees west of the 
north, and running in a direct line ten miles, for the first line; then 
beginning again at the same Jones point and running another direct 
line, at a right angle with the first, across the Potomac ten miles, for a 
second line; thence from the termination-of said first and second lines, 
running two other lines of ten miles each, the one crossing the J'^astern 
branch aforesaid and the other the Potomac, and meeting each othei' 
in a point. 

To take charge of the newly created territory, supervise 
its survey, and attend to the business growing out of its con- 
demnation for public use, Washington appointed, Januar}^ 22, 
1791, three commissioners, Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll, 
then a mend)er of Congress from Maryland, and Dr David 
Stuart. 

Two months later, ^Nlarch 28, 1791, Washington arrived in 
Georgetown from Philadelphia, and the next day made a tour 
of inspection of the District in compan}^ with the three com- 
missioners and two surveyors, Andrew Ellicott and Major Peter 
Charles L'Enfant. Tlu; connnissioners held their first meeting 
on the 12th of April following, in Ceorgetown, and three days 






The fir d Sarvci/ of iJic District. 151 

later, namely, the loth of April, 1791, as already mentioned, the 
corner stone at Jones point was laid with solemn masonic cere- 
monial, in the presence of a large gathering of citizens, cinefly 
from Alexandria. The survey then proceeded, and in Sei)tem- 
ber following the commissioners decided upon the name which 
was to be given to this new Federal territory and the city to be 
created within it. They ordered that the title of the map pre- 
pared by Major EUicott should be "A map of the city of Wash- 
ington, in the Territory of Columbia." Before this time the 
future city was referred to as the Federal city. 

How the boundaries of the District were run I do not know, 
but suppose that it was done with transit and chain. As the 
country was timbered, and as the boundary crossed the Potomac 
twice and the Eastern branch once, it will be seen that the task 
was not a perfectly simple one. It appears that the work of 
measuring and staking out the outline of the District was com- 
pleted in 1791 ; that during the following year the line was 
cleared of timber to the width of 20 feet on each side ; and that 
in this 40-foot lane through the woods stone mileposts were 
erected. These posts are two feet high and one foot square. 
They are marked on the District side, "JURISDICTION of the 
UNITED STATES,'' followed by an inscription showing the dis- 
tances from that corner of the District from which they are num- 
bered, such as "il/if'/e-s J," ^^ Miles 6 &: lo P.," etc; on the opposite 
side, '■'■Maryland " (or '' VIRGINIA") ; on the third side, the year 
'■''iyg2 " (except the Virginia stones, marked '■^lygi ") ; and on 
the fourth side, the variation of the compass. The stones are 
numbered from 1 to 9 on each line, from south to west, west to 
north, etc.''^ 

About ten years ago the Coast Survey executed a triangula- 
tion for the purpose of determining the geographic positions of 



* Since the foregoing was written I have i:)ersonally visited and ins^iected 
most of the boundary monuments of the original District of Columbia, 
set in 1791 and 1792. Tliough tliis inspection is still incomplete, it is 
deemed advisable to print here the following table, siiowing the condi- 
tion of the monuments so far as inspected, and especially to print the 
variation of the compass recorded upon them. These variations are the 
earliest ones observed and recorded for the District of Columbia, and 
the only record of them known to me is upon these boundary monu- 
ments. These monuments are of Aquia creek sandstone and were sawed 
out. Through abuse and exposure to the weather the inscriptions are 
becoming obscured, a few being already totally lost. 



152 M. linker — Sanri/s dnd Maps, Dldrid of Colatnbhi. 

the coriKTs of tlie oriniiml 
District, as well as some other 
points. The work wiis clone 
by Mr C. H. Sinclair, of the 
United States Coast and Geo- 
detic Survey. To hi.s courtesy 
and that of the Coast Survey 
oflice I am indel>ted for the 
following facts respecting the 
boundary line. The District 
is not an exact square or 
spherical quadrilateral. Its 
distortion, much exaggerated, 
is shown in figure 1. Tlie 
northern point is not exactly 




FiGURK 1. — District of Cohimhia. 



north of the southern point, but bears 5' 19".7 west of north of it. 

Boundary Moxuments of the District of Columbia. 
Erected in 1791-'92. Condition in 1894. 



Monu- 
ment. 


Varia- 
tion. 


Condition, etc. 


Monu- 
ment. 


Varia- 
tion. 


Condition, etc. 


s. 


9 


Invisible ; built into L. 


N. 


1°2?' E. 


Fair condiiion ; erect. 






H. wall. 


N.E.I 


1° OG' E. 


Fair condition ; leaning. 


S. W. 1 


0° 30' W. 


Erect; good condition. 


2 


1° 12' E. 


Fair condition ; erect. 


2 


■) •> 


Stone gone. 


3 


0° 18' W. 


Fair condition ; erect. 


3 


■> ■>. E. 


Very bad condition ; 


4 


0° 25' W. 


Good condition ; erect 






figures illegible. 


5 


0° 22' E. 


Leaning; fair condition. 


■1 






G 

7 


0° 51' E. 
1° 08' E. 


Erect; very good condi- 


5 






tion. 


G 






Erect; seamed; in 


7 


0° 05' E. 


Leaning; bad condi- 


woods. 






tion ; open field. 


8 


(J° 24' E. 


Erect; good condition. 


8 






9 

E. 
S. E. 1 


0° 19' E. 
0° 10' E. 


I'oor condition ; erect. 


<j 








W. 






Erect; good condition. 


N W. 1 










0° 35' E. 


Erect; bad condition ; 


0° 04' E. 


Erect; excellent condi- 






in woods. 






tion. 


;i 


0° 10' E. 


Brok-n down by army 
wagon ; very bad con- 
dition. 


3 

4 


0° 08' W. 


Had condition. 
Illegible ; very bad con- 
dition. 


4 


0° 03' W. 


Erect ; fair condition ; 


5 


(1° 21' E. 


Erect; lair condition. 






in woods. 


G 


U° 18' E. 


Erect; excellent condi- 


5 


0° 4?' W. 


Erect; fair condition. 






tion. 


G 


•; 


Ulegible; bad condi- 
tion ; at roadside. 


7 


0^ 25' E. 


Buried nearly out of 
sight. 


7 


0°59'fE. 


Erect ; good condition ; 
in meadow. 


8 


0° 34' E. 


Partly buried in swampy 
thicket. 


8 


0° 29' E. 


Erect; fair condition; 
in voung timber. 


9 


0° 37' E. 


Leaning; at river edge; 
fair condition. 


9 


2° 00' E. 


Erect; fair condition; 
in thick woods. 









Variation in 1792, teste Ellicott, mean of 

Variation in 1894 (assumed) 

Changi! in li)2 years 

Change in 1 year 



0° 25' E. 
4" 25' W. 
4° 50' 
0° 2'.8 



Tlie Shape, of the District. loo 

It is therefore 116 feet west of the meridian through the southern 
corner. The lengths of the four sides, intended to be exactly ten 
miles long, are found to l)e in fact as follows : 

Southwestern side is 10 miles plus 230.6 feet long. 
Northeastern " '" 10 " " 263.1 " 
Southeastern " " 10 • " " 70.5 " " 

Northwestern " " KJ " " 63.0 ^' 

Thus the District is approximately a rectangle, the north- 
eastern and southwestern sides exceeding ten miles by about 245 
feet, and the southeastern and northwestern sides each exceeding 
ten miles by about 65 feet. If a more critical examination be 
made, it will be found that the distances between the various 
mileposts differ quite sensibly from miles, and it will be found 
further that the stones are not in line. The actual lengths of 
these supposed miles may be seen on plate 9. 

As to direction, consider line number 1, or the southwestern 
line. It is intended to bear 45° west of north. Its actual direc- 
tion, as now appears from the Coast Survey determinations 
already referred to, is 44° 59' 24".6 west of north, or about half 
a minute less than intended. The second, or southeastern line, 
which was to bear north 45° east, is found actually to bear north 
45° 1' 45".6 east, exceeding the intended value by If. 

Site of Washington before 1790. — How did the site of Washing- 
ton and the District of Columbia look before 1790? No contem- 
porary^ map, so far as I know, exists to answer this question. 
Still, scattered bits of information here and there, diligently and 
patiently collected by Dr J. M. Toner, have enabled a map to be 
made which in part answers the question. TAventy years ago 
Messrs E. F. M. Faehtz and F. W. Pratt, authors and publishers 
of a real estate directory of Washington, published a book en- 
titled " Washington in Embryo," in which they include a map 
" compiled from the rare historical researches of Dr J. M. Toner." 
This map shows the drainage, farm outlines, etc, of the tract on 
which Ellicott laid out a great city in 1791. Within this tract 
existed one real and two paper towns. Georgetown was the real 
town, and had been in existence some 35 or 40 years, while 
Carrollsburg and Hamburgh existed on paper only. 

Carrollsburg was a tract of 160 acres on the northern bank of 
the Anacostia, just east of the Arsenal grounds. Before its sub- 
division into 268 town lots it was known as Duddington manor 



l")! J/. JhiLcr — Surcci/t> and Maps, Dldrkl of Colaiuhia. 

or l)u(liliiii;ton i);isture. The town laid out in tlie hitter i):irt of 
1770, near the dce[>est water of the Eastern braneh, was d()u))tless 
named after Daniel Carroll, an extensive land owner on Capitol 
liill. The suttdivision was made under a deed of trust reeorderl 
at Marlltorouudi, Maryland, Noveml)er 2, 1770. 

llaniltur!j;h is or was the name of a town surveyed and laid 
oil" in town lots l)y its owner, Jaeol) Funk, whose plat is recorded 
at Marlborough, Maryland, Oetol)er 28, 1771. The tract eni- 
hraced 12) acres and was divided into 2S7 lots. The town was 
located with reference to deep water in the Potomac, and occu- 
l)ied in i)art the site of the old Naval Observatory. It was some- 
times called Funkstown, after its owner. 

The U Enfant and EUicott 3Iaps. — Preceding and during the 
surveys already described, a French engineer. Major Peter 
Charles L'Enfant, was engaged under Washington's direction in 
planning the future capital. Tlie maj^ which he prepared may 
be ealled a paper map — that is, it was a project in which the 
city was laid out on paper. Tliis, the first map of Washington, 
is now in the custody of the commissioner of public buildings 
and grounds, in the War Department. Having become much 
faded and worn with use, it was a few years since sent to the 
Coast Survey office, where it was very carefully traced and a 
photolithograpliic copy of it prc|>ared. 

After the approval of L'Enfant's plan, the next step was to lay 
out the streets, parks, reservations, etc, upon the ground. This 
work was entrusted to Major Andrew Ellicott, and his mai) 
ai)|)ears to have l)een first engraved in 1792. The manner in 
wliieh the city was laid out is told in a note upon the map itself, 
which is as follows : 

In or.li'i- to execute this phin, INIr EUicott drew :i true meridional line 
l)y celestial olj.servatioii, which passes throuj^h tlie area intomlctl for the 
Capitol; this line he cTossed by another due east and west, which i)asses 
throujih the same area. These lines were accurately measured and made 
the base on which the whole plan was executed, lie ran all the lines by 
a- (raiisit iiislriunent and determined the acute angles by actual measure- 
ment, and left nothing to the uncertainty of the compass. 

Near the intarseotion of North Capitol and R streets is, or till 
recently was, a monument, which I have not seen, said to be 
some fifteen feet high, on land owned by a Mr Beall. I have 
been unable to secure definite information as to the purpose of 
this monument or its use. It seems probable that it was a mon- 



The government Surveij of Vacancies. 155 

utnent erected by Mr EUicott as an azimuth mark, and its recent 
destruction is therefore regretable. 

The boundary line, as has been seen, was run out in 1791. It 
was cleared of timber and most of the milestones set during the 
following year, 1792, and it is probable that during this same year 
EUicott produced the general topographic map of the entire Dis- 
trict, the date of publication of which is uncertain. The only 
copy of this map of the District known to me is in the Library 
of Congress, entitled " Territory of Columbia, drawn by Andrew 
EUicott." Its conjectural date, added in pencil, is 1793. This 
ma]) was republished in 1852, the republication being seemingly 
a facsimile in all respects, except the omission of the phrase 
" drawn by Andrew EUicott." Reduced copies of it have been 
several times published. Down to the ])ublication of Boschke's 
map of the District at the outbreak of the war, this to])ographic 
map of the District by EUicott is apparently the only one ever 
made. 

Land Office Surveys. — In the surveying division of the General 
Land Office is a not very large package of papers relating to sur- 
veys by the United States of public lands in the District of 
Columbia. The ragged and yellow label, written in a large, fair 
hand, runs thus : " Papers relating to applications to appropriate 
certain lands in the District of Columbia under the provisions 
of the joint resolution of Congress of February 16, 1839," etc. 

This package contains all the papers in the General Land 
Office relating to public land surve3^s in the District of Columbia, 
the history of which is briefly this : After the settlement of the 
District of Columbia had progressed for some years or decades, 
it was found tliat here and there errors had been made by sur- 
veyors in staking out or marking the boundaries of lots, farms, 
and estates. In some cases a tract might by the terms of its 
description be counted in two adjoining tracts, and so two people 
might claim the same tract. In other cases tracts su}»poscd to 
adjoin were found not to touch, and there would thus be a tract 
lying between which had no private owner. This tract then 
belonged to the United States. The person discovering this error 
naturally wished to acquire possession of this now valuable land. 
That he might do so, congressional authority was necessary. 
Accordingly, on. February 16, 1839, a joint resolution was passed 
by Congress permitting purchase under the old Mar3dand law of 
1801, which provided for the sale of " vacancies " — i.e., un- 



150 }[. Baker — S)irrri/ft and Maps, Dii^fricf of Cohimhia. 

oroupied or unclainied land, ruder tliis [Ji-ovision tlw (loniM'al 
I>aiid Odice acted as the local laml oHico for the District of 
Culunibia, and whenever vacanci.'.s were discovered and reported 
a request for survey was presented. A deposit of three shillings 
and six pence per acre. Maryland money, was required, and an 
additional charge of four shillings was afterward required to 
complete the purchase, Avhich thus cost the purchaser seven 
shillings and six pence, or one dollar, [)er acre. It is interesting 
to note that under this law the (leneral T,and Office has received 
a]q)lications for and has made surveys of al)out 60 tracts in the 
District of Columbia. Perhaps the most noteworthy case M^'as 
that of the Kidwell bottoms, or Potomac flats, as we now call 
them. 

T/ie Boschke Maps. — xVlbert Boschke was a German emplo3^ed 
in the Coast Survey before the war. He conceived the idea of 
making a very accurate map of Washington and of the District 
of Columbia, with the hope of selling to the Government. 

He was at the time employed in the drawing division of the 
Coast Survey, and while so employed organized a corps of sur- 
veyors at his OAvn expense to do the fieldwork. This gradually 
absorbed his time and thought, led to irregular attendance at the 
office, and finally to his enforced resignation from the survey. 

Two maps resulted from his work, one a map of the whole 
District, the other a map of the city. The map of the District 
is usually spoken of as the Boschke map. It was engraved upon 
copper by Mr David McClelland, and was just about to l)e pub- 
lished — indeed, a few copies or proofs had been printed — when, 
the war breaking out, the Government seized the map and plates. 

The map of the city was produced first and published in 1857. 
It is interesting from the foct that the houses were drawn from 
actual tape-line measures in the field and drawn with scrupulous 
painstaking. It is also interesting as l:)eing one of the early 
pieces of work of the well-known firm of lithogra])hers, Bien ct 
Company, of New York. 

The field-work of the District maj) was based jn-imarily ui)()n 
a line from the dome of the Capitol to the NavaPObservatory. 
The data was taken from the Coast Survey Report for 1851, and 
the position of the observatory as there given was assumed by 
Boschke to refer to the transit circle. 

It subsequently appeared that it referred to the station on tbe 
roof from which angles had been measured, and his l)ase line 



The Confiscation of Boschkc^s Map. 157 

was thus in error l:)y about eight feet. This small error is still in 
the niaj). 

The roads were meandered by two parties, one with transit 
and chain, the other with a level. Their results being platted, 
the plats were taken to the field and the contours and other 
details sketched in. 

The Virginian part of the District, it will be remembered, had 
been ceded back to Virginia in 184(5. Boschke's map did not, 
therefore, include any of the topography in Alexandria county. 
That which now ai)pears on the so-called Boschke map was 
added by two Coast Survey officers, Messrs Dorr and Rockwell, 
in the first year of the war. At the outbreak of the war the 
United States had no topographic map of the District, the only 
topographic map existing being the manuscript produced by 
Boschke. He sold his interest in it to Messrs Blagden, Sweeney, 
and McClelland. Mr McClelland is an engraver, now seventy- 
four years old, living in Le Droit park. He engraved the Boschke 
map, which was executed on two plates. With his partners, he 
agreed to sell the manuscript and plates to the Government for 
$20,000. Secretary of War Stanton, not a])parently understand- 
ing the labor and expense of a topographic map, thought tliat 
$500 was a large sum. There was, therefore, a disagreement as 
to price. After some negotiations, Mr McClelland and his part- 
ners offered all the material, copper-plates and manuscript, to 
the Government for $4,000, on condition that the plates, with 
the copyright, should be returned to them at the close of the war. 
This offer also was refused. There then appeared at Mr McClel- 
land's house in Le Droit park a lieutenant, with a squad of 
soldiers and an order from the Secretary of War to seize all the 
material relating to this map. Mr McClelland accordingly loaded 
all the material into his own wagon and, escorted by a file of 
soldiers on either side, drove to the War Department and left the 
material. While the war was still in progress, after further con- 
ference. Secretary Stanton agreed to refer the question of pay- 
ment for this })roperty to the Committee on War Claims. That 
committee recommended a payment of $8,500, and the owners, 
regarding this amount in cash as worth more than future uncer- 
tainties, decided to accept it. Thus all the material became 
Government property at a cost of $8,500, and the plates, two in 
number, are now in possession of the War Department. Electro- 
plate copies of them are also in the possession of the Coast 

22— Nat. Geog. Mag., vol. VI, 1804. 



1;")8 31. Bahcr — Siirvn/.<^ and Mapsi, DiMrid of Coluriihia. 

Survey. A sul)se({uc'nt claim f'oi- tlie (lillercucc lictwcen S8/)00 
and $"2(),0()0, the price asked, was presented to Congress, whieli 
decided that the acceptance of the $8,500 settled the claim, and 
no more has ever been allowed. 

United States Geological Survey Map. — In 1885-'86 the United 
States Geological Survey made a contour topographic maj) of 
the District and surrounding country in Maryland and Virginia. 
This ma\) is a part of the general topographic map of the United 
States which that survey has in hand. The hill forms are shown 
by means of contours with intervals of twenty feet. The scale is 
one mile, approximately, to one inch. Existing maps Avere used 
in its prei)aration so far as they were available, and for the rest 
the work was done in the field. The method iollowcd was 
largel}^ that of traversing, the traverse lines l)eing controlled ])y 
triangulation. 

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Map. — A very elal)orate 
and detailed topographic survey of the District of Colum])ia was 
institutetl in 1881. In the District of Columbia appropriation 
bill for the fiscal year 1880-'81 there was inserted an item appro- 
priating .$5,000 " for surveys of the District of Columbia, with 
reference to the future extension of various avenues to the Dis- 
trict line." Under the authority thus given, topographers from 
the Coast Survey Avere detailed to execute the Avork. It Avas 
arranged that the map should be on a scale of 1:4800, or 400 feet 
to an inch. This is a scale of about 13 inches to the mile. The 
work Avas planned to be most accurate and detailed, and the 
relief Avas to be expressed in contours, Avith a five-foot interval. 
The survey thus planned and begun is now completed, and 
covers the entire District outside the original limits of Washing- 
ton and GeorgetoAvn — that is, it covers an area of 48.2 square 
miles. Work vA^as in progress during the ten years, 1881-1891, 
in Avhich tliercAvas specifically approjiriated for it S05,(')00. Tlie 
resulting niai) sheets are not yet ])ubli8hod. Some ])liotolitho- 
graphic sheets have been issued from time to^time, but they do 
not cover the entire area. The Avork is being engraved upon 
copper and printed in four colors — l)lack for culture. 1>lue for 
Avater, In-oAvn for hill forms, and green for woodland. A fcAv such 
sheets have been issued, each sheet covering about one square 
mile. It Avill be seen that this survey is one of the most de- 
tailed, elaborate, and careful pieces of topograpli}^ that has been 
executed in this country up to date, and its publication is 



llic first Meridian. 159 

awaited witli interest.* It is proposed to number the sheets con- 
secutively from 1 to 109. If the original District of ten miles 
square be subdivided into 100 square miles there will l)e one 
atlas sheet to each square mile. Beginning at the northern 
corner of the District and running southeastward, the sheets will 
be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc, up to 10 ; thence returning to the north- 
western side, the next row will be numbered 11, 12, 13, etc, to 20, 
and so on to complete the entire District. 

The First Meridian. — Old residents of ^yashington and some of 
the modern ones also know the term Meridian hill. The story 
of this name is a story of surveying and thus a part of our theme. 
A hundred years ago it was the custom of various nations to 
reckon longitude from their own capitals— a bad custom not yet 
quite dead. Our grandsires, proposing to follow this practice, 
gave early attention to establishing a first meridian. Joined to 
it was the idea of a national observatory and American ephem- 
eris, to the end that the young republic might in these respects 
as well as in all others be quite free from dependence on foreign 
nations. The complete story of this first meridian seems to be 
still unwritten. 

On L'Enfant's plan for the Federal city the letter B appears 
on the site of the Emancipation statue in Lincoln park, about a 
mile east of the Capitol. A marginal note indicates the plan 
proposed for this place, to wit : 

An historic column ; also intended for a mile or itinerary column, from 
whose station (a mile from tlie Federal house) all distances of places 
through the continent are to be calculated. 

This a]3pears to indicate that L'Enfant planned to have the 
primary meridian of the United States pass through a point ex- 
actly one mile east of the Capitol. Still this is not certain, as 
the only evidence discovered is the marginal note just cited. On 
the same map the longitude of the Capitol is given as 0° 0', /. e., 
according to this note the first meridian was to pass through the 
Capitol, or Congress house, as it was then called. As a first 
meridian could not at the same time pass through the Congress 
house and a point one mile east of the Congress liouse, it seems 
likely that the eastern one never got beyond the suggestion or 
proposal on the original plan. 

* Since this was written and while this article is in jji-ess the Coast 
Survey has issued a map of the District of Columbia in five sheets. It is 
a black photolithograph ; scale, 1:9600, or 800 feet to an inch. 



1()0 M. Pxiktr — Siirrcj/fi dud Maps, Dldr'ni of t'olmithiu. 

When in 17'.n-"02 Klliooii laid olV the streets, avenues, reser- 
vations (or a])[)r()|)riations, as they were then called), lie l)e.ijjan 
by drawini!: ''a true meridional line l)y celestial observation, 
which passes tlirougb the area intended lor the Congress bousi' ; 
this line he crossed bj"- another due east and west, which passes 
through the same area. These lines were accurately measured 
and made the bases on which the whole i)lan was executed." 

This line of EUicott's is probably, perhaps surely, the first 
meridian laid doAvn on the ground in the District of Columl)ia, 
and may have been designed for two purposes : first, to serve 
locally as a reference or base-line from which to lay out the then 
imaginary city, and second, to serve as a. first meridian from 
which to reckon longitudes in the very young and very patriotic 
republic. 

Now Meridian hill is not north of the ('a})itol, Ijut north of the 
White House, at the head of Sixteenth street, and so we have 
another meridian to consider. 

In the State Department is a letter from Nicholas King, S. C. W. 
(which I take to mean surveyor city of Washington), to the 
President of the United States (Jefferson) relative to a meridian 
line through the President's house. It is dated October 15, 1804, 
and upon it are two endorsements. The first is " Nicholas King. 
15 Oct'. 1804. Meridian Line through the centre of the Presi- 
dent's house." The second is " King Nich'. Surveyor's olhce 
Oct. 15, 04. rec'\ Oct. 15. to be filed in the office of state as a 
record of the demarcation of the 1''. meridian of the U. S." 

This is an important letter,* and as it appears not to have 
been published, I have appended a copy of it to this paper. 

It appears that Mr King, under the direction of a Mr Briggs, 
laid out a meridian line along Sixteenth street in 1804. Who 
orchn-ed this w^ork done I do not know ; but as Mr King, who 
ran the line, made a report to President Jefferson, and as this re- 
l)()rt was sent to the State Department and endorsed to l)c liled 
as a record of the demarcation of the first meridian of the United 
States, I infer that the work was done at the instigation of Presi- 
dent Jefferson and for the |)urpose of marking the initial me- 
ridian line from which longitudes were to l)e counted in the 
United States. 

* I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr Fred L. Harvey, formerly secre- 
tary of the Washington National Monument Association, for call hig my 
attention to and furnishing me with ii copy of this letter. 



TJic Survey ofthcjird Meridian. 161 

Thus I infer tliat L'Enfant planned to have the first meridian 
pass through a jioint exactly one mile east of the Capitol; that 
President Jefferson planned to have the first meridian pass 
through the President's house, about one and one-half miles 
west of the Capitol, whereas the meridian afterward ado[)ted 
by Congress was that of the Capitol itself 

The meridian through the President's house was, as already 
indicated, run out in 1804 b}^ Nicholas King. Setting u}) his 
transit at the northern door of the White House and pointing to 
the star " in the tail of the constellation Ursa Minor at its eastern 
elongation," he then depressed the telescope to sight a mark at 
the intersection of Sixteenth and north I streets. This mark 
was an Argand lamp placed on a very low stand. Over the 
lamp was a tin cylinder with a slit in it. The offset or distance 
from this mark westward to the true meridian line was then 
calculated and very carefully measured, and the meridian " line 
marked on the head of a post firmly driven into the ground " 
at the intersection of Sixteenth street with the northern side of 
north I street. No surface marks now show the place of this 
historic post. Is it or its decayed remains still in place l)eneatli 
the pavement or was it removed long ago ? The telescope was 
now elevated and pointed due north " to the top of a hill near 
two miles north of the President's house, on the lands of Mr 
Robert Peter, where temporary posts were fixed and the line 
marked upon them." 

Early in September of 1804 Mr King, with the consent of Mr 
Peter, " planted a small obelisk of freestone, prepared by Mr 
Blagden, on the height where the stakes (or posts) had been 
fixed." The apex of this stone was in the true meridian from 
the center of the northern door of the White House. 

The line was extended southward across Tiber creek and two 
stones planted near the site of the future Washington monu- 
ment. It was planned to set a stone exactly south of the center 
of the President's house and exactly west of the center of the 
Capitol. The surveyor, on reaching this spot and finding the 
Ca]ntol invisiljle, prolonged the line and set a stone at the inter- 
section of the meridian and a line due west from the southern 
end of the old Capitol. This stone was standing when I came to 
Washington, some twenty years ago ; I have seen it many times. 
It was a rough brownish sandstone or freestone about 10 inches 
square and 3 to 4 feet high. I do not remember any marks or 



JOii J/. Ihihcr — Sitrt'ci/s and Mapa, Dislrkt of CoUnnhla. 

inscription ui)()n it. It was always })ointL'(l out to niu as tlie 
center of the District. In tlie recentl}'' published centennial 
histor}^ of AV^ishington tliis is called the Capitol stone. It is now 
gone and its site is unmarked. 

After establishing tlie Capitol stone Mr King measured back 
toward the White House 175 feet 82 inches, a distance just one- 
half of the length of the Capitol as it then existed, and here 
erected a monument. Of the spot and its mark he says : 

It is oil the south bank of Tyber creek, and marked by the erection of 
a small pier, covered by a flat freestone, on which the lines are drawn. 

Ex-Commissioner Webb, in his centennial histor}'' of Wash- 
ington, already mentioned, page 28, calls this the Jefferson stone 
or Center stone and describes it, as also its removal in 1872 by 
order of General Babcock, who seems not to have been aw^are of 
its character or history. 

It seems probable that this Jefferson stone was removed when 
grading was in progress and the Capitol stone carefully preserved ; 
that later the relation of these stones, as has been described 
above, became known to the engineers, who then set a new stone 
in jilace of the removed Jefferson stone, and then removed the 
Cai»itol stone. 

The more or less exact site of the Jefferson stone is now 
marked by a cut granite stone (or post) planted nearly flush 
with the ground and marked by a deep cut across, north and 
south by east and west. It may be seen on the green lawn on 
the eastern side of and near to the driveway west-northwest from 
the Monument. 

Recapitulating, then, we find that along the meridian line 
through the White House, run in 1804, were three stone monu- 
ments — INIeridian stone, Jefferson stone, and Capitol stone, and 
a wooden post at I street north. The Meridian stone is gone 
and its site is unmarked. The Capitol stone is gone and its site 
is unmarked. The Jefferson stone is gone, but its site is marked. 
Some suitable label or inscription would, however, add greatly 
to the interest of this mark, whicli is, as it now stands, meaning- 
less to most people. And, lastly, the forgotten post on I street. 
Of this we have no present knowledge. 

A word now about the stone on Meridian hill. It will be re- 
meuiljcrcd that Commodore (afterward Admiral) Porter had a 
mansion on the old Peter place, at the head of Sixteenth street. 
Its main entrance was duo north of the main entrance to the 



The present location of tlic Meridian Ston.e. 103 

White House. Iilxactly in line between these doorways, on the 
hiwn south of the house, stood a low sandstone bloek, on which 
was placed a brass sun-dial. The stone was carved in cylindrical 
form on its northern side. This stone, so the story goes, was 
removed when Sixteenth-street hill was cut down some twenty 
years ago, and is now doing duty as a carriage step at the corner 
of Fourteenth and R streets. On talking with the owner of the 
place at Fourteenth and R streets, however, he denied vigorously 
that this was the Meridian stone. He described the Meridian 
stone as similar to the Capitol stone; and Mr King, who set the 
Meridian stone and the Capitol stone in 1804, also describes them 
as similar. I infer, therefore, that two stones at the head of 
Sixteenth street have been called Meridian stone. The original 
one, still extant, is said to be now serving as a hitching post in 
front of the Reform school. The carriage step at Fourteenth 
and R streets is probably a later stone set up as a base or support 
for a sun-dial, and came to be known as the Meridian stone to 
the exclusion of the original freestone obelisk. 

The Center of the District. — It is commonly stated and believed 
that the Jefferson stone was established at the exact center of 
the original District, and that the Washington monument, which 
is less than 200 feet therefrom, practically marlcs such center. 
Unless I am mistaken, this is an error, and the center of the 
original District is nearly half a mile (2,04S feet N. 501° W.) 
northwest from the monument. 

When Ellicott marked out the District boundary he had to 
find a true meridian line astronomically. This he did at Jones 
point, but I do not know of anything to show that he ran this 
" true meridional line " through the present Washington. It is 
stated in the recent centennial history that he did, but on what 
evidence does not appear. It is also stated that this line ran 
exactly through the middle of the White House and up Sixteenth 
street, but the surveys now available show that the meridian of 
Jones point passes west of the State, War, and Navy building 
and nearly along Eighteenth street. 

It seems to have been assumed that because Ellicott determined 
the meridian at -lones point that he ran that meridian through 
Washington, and that the terms Meridian stone, Merictian hill, 
Meridian hill farm, etc, are derived from his wairk, whereas the 
facts seem to show that these names are due to the work of 
anotlier surveyor, working thirteen years later, under different 



1('>4 ^f. Jiaker — Survcij.'^ (iml Ma/is, ])istrtvl of Cnhnnhia. 

iiislructioiis, on a diirci-ciit pri)Iil('iii, and for a (|uit(' distinct 
jmrpose. In short, the Sixteenth-street meridian, established in 
1804, is quite independent of the center of the District and (|nitc 
indej)endent of Ellicott's survey. 

The location of the center of the original District is one })roof 
of this. This central point is at the intersection of the diagonals. 
The latitudes and longitudes of the four original corners and of 
the Washington monument cnal)le us to make the following 
comparison : 





Latitude n(n-th. 


Longitude west 
of Greenwich. 


Center of District 


38° 53' 34^^915 
38° 53' 22^^02 


77° 02' 27". 745 


Washington monument 


77° 02' 07". 78 


Difference 


12''. 895 


19".965 







It thus appears that the center of the District is 12". 895 or 
1,305 feet farther north and 19". 935 or 1,579 feet farther west 
than the monument. This locates it on or near C street north. _ 
l)etween Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets west. This is the 
center of tlie oriuinal District. 



APPENDIX. 

Surveyor's Office, 15th Oct.r., 1804. 

Sni: Being requested by Mr Briggs to assist him in running a true 
meridian Hue which should pass through tlie center of the President's 
house, and to ijerpctuate the same, as also the point of intersection by a 
due west line drawn from the center of the Capitol by fixing permanent 
marks thereon, and as the pressure of other olficial engagements pre- 
ventcnl Ins attention to more than ascertaining tin; meridian line and 
mai'king it tem})orarily, it devolves on me to describe the nuide pursued 
in ascertaining the line and the required intersections, that otlu'rs may 
know what dependence is to be placed on their accuracy. 

In running the mei'idian line I acto 1 only in the capacitj' of assistant, 
ccmforming entirely to the instructions of Mr Briggs, and executing with 
all tlie care in my power the marking of his temporary line, agreeably to 
his signals and instructions, in giving wliich 1 believe he used all the 
accura(ty of which the instrument was capable. 



Tlic Survey of fh.c Meridian Line. 165 

With a new transit instruiuent, executed by Voigt of riiiladrlphia, he 
ascertained the place of the star, in the tail of the constellation Ursa 
Minor, on its greatest eastern elongation, and, continuing the vertical 
circle to the surface of the ground by the instrument, he determined the 
bearing, in the line of which on a very low stand was placed one of 
Argand's lamps covered by a tin cylinder, in which a small slit was made 
for a sight, and the line from tlie light toward the instrument was drawn 
upon the stand. Knowing the radius of the circle described by the stai', 
or half the angle formed by its greatest elongations, east and west, and 
the altitude of the pole, he by calculation deduced the horizontal angle 
made by two vertical circles, one of which is the meridian passing through 
the pole; the other through the star's place when farthest east. This 
liorizontal angle being found, and the base line measured from the place 
of the instrument (the north door of the President's house) to where 
it is intersected by an east-and-west line from the place of the light 
or sight used (the north side of north I street), aflbrded the necessary 
data for calculating the distance to be measured west from the place of 
the sight to the true meridian line, which offset was very carefully made 
and the line marked on the head of a post firmly driven into the 
ground. The meridian being thus fixed and a point found due north 
from tlie place of observation, the line was continued by the instrument 
at one sight and tested by reversing the telescope at an intermediate sta- 
tion in the line to the top of a hill nearly two miles north of the Presi- 
dent's house, on the lands of Mr Robert Peter, where temporary posts 
were fixed and tlie line marked upon them, according to the instructions 
by signal from INIr Briggs at the instrument. From the President's house 
the line was reversed by the instrument and continued south across the 
Tyber creek and marked in the same manner on the head of posts driven 
in the public appropriation called the mall. 

Having obtained the permission of Mr Peter, early in September I 
planted a small obelisk of freestone, prepared by Mr Blagden, in the 
meridian line north of the President's house, on the height where the 
stakes had been fixed under the direction of Mr Briggs. The apex is in 
the true meridian from the center of the north door. 

In perpetuating the south line it was deemed best to place the stone 
where the meridian line should be intersected by a west line from the 
Capitol. Tbe surface of the ground, however, being unfavorable — the 
Capitol not being visible at the point of intersection — it suggested the 
planting an obelisk similar to that on the north line at a point on the 
meridian west from the south end of the Capitol and where the building 
was distinctly seen, and from thence find the intersection of the center 
line by measuring northwards half the length of the Capitol. Although 
the bod\f of the building was in full view, yet intervening trees prevented 
my seeing with the necessary distinctness the south end of the Capi- 
tol ; and I had to find the required point on the meridian by setting off 
tlie angle included between the northwest corner of the building and 
the center of the President's house. This angle I had previously calcu- 
lated, from the distance, 7,690.8 feet, and the length of the Capitol, 351 

23— Nat. Gkog. Mao., vol. VI, 1894. 



I'lO M. linker — Snrvc)/s and Map.'^, District of Columbia. 

fiH't ") inclu's, to bo 87° 2'.)' (/'.8. For the greater arciiracy I measured 
tliis aujile IVoiu ditlereiit parts of tlie cirele of a theodolite, made by 
A(hims, y;oin<r several times around the instrument and takinji the mean 
as the correct angle. In one instance, however, I found a variation of 
nearly two minutes in the angular distance of the buildings; in others 
they would coincide for several observations. I thns ascertained my 
l)Ositiou and the point on the meridian line from which a line drawn at 
right angles due east would touch the south end of the Capitol with 
all the precision the instrument is capable of. Here I planted the obe- 
lisk, and measured from the center of it north 175 feet 82 inches, half 
the length of the building, for the point of intersecition on the meridian 
drawn through the center of the President's house by a west line from 
the center of the Capitol. It is on the south bank of Tyber (u-eek and 
marked by the erection of a small pier, covered by a fiat freestone, 'on 
wliicii the lines are drawn. 

1 am, sir, very respectfully yours, 

Nicu's KiNCi, S. C. W. 
The President of the United States. 

(First endorsement.) 
Nicholas King. 15 OcT^ 1804. 

Meridian line througli the center of the President's house. 

(Second endorsement.) 

King, Nich^ Survevou's Offtci':, Oct. 15, '04. 

Rec" Oct. 15. 
To be filed in the ollice of State, as a record of the demarcation of the 
P' meridian of the U. S. 



LIST OF MAPS OF WASHINGTON AND THE DISTRICT OF 
COLUMBIA, WITH NOTES THEREON 

BY MARCUS BAKER 

III o-atliering material for the foregoiu<j notes on surveys and maps of 
Washington and the District of Colam)>ia various maps have been exam- 
ined. As no list of such maps is known to be in print, it is deemed worth 
whilo to print this list, which inay serve as a useful beginning for the 
future bibliographer. The titles have been prepared by the compiler 
himself, unless otherwise indicated. The places where the maps were 
seen is also indicated for those which are not common. 

L. C. = Library of Congress. 

G. S. = " " Geological Survey. 

C. S. = " " Coast and Geodetic Survey. 

1791. L'Enfant (Peter Charles). Plan of the city intended for the 
permanent seat of the Government of t[lie] United States. Projected 
agreeable to the direction of the President of the United States in pursu- 
ance of an act of Congress passed the sixteenth day of July, MDCCXC, 
establishing the permanent seat on the bank of the Potomac. By Peter 
Charles L'Enfant. 

Size, 30 X 45 inches. Scale, 4 inches to one mile, or 1:15840. 
Colored pliotolithograph maile by C. & G. S. in 1887 from original in " Office of 
Commissioner of Public Buildings, D. C." 
This is No. 303ja of the C. S. eatalogue of charts, 1893. 

1792. Ellicott (Andrew). Plan of the city of Washington, in the terri- 
tory of Columbia, ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to the 
United States of America, and by them -established as the seat of their 
government after the year MDCCC. Engraved by Thackara & Vallance , 
Philada., 1792. 

Size, 21 x29 inches. Scale, 103 poles to one inch, or IjlOSOO. 

Black. Engraved on copper. Original copper plate said to be in possession of 
the C. & G. S. 

This map is No. 3035 of C. & G. S. catalogue of charts, 1S93, where its date is given 
as 1800. Copies seen, L. C. and C. S. 

[1732 ?J Ellicott (Andrew). Plan of the city of Wiishington, in the 
territory of Columbia, ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to 
the United States of America, and by them established as the seat of 
their government after MDCCC. 

Size, 17 X 20 inches. Scale, 100 poles to one inch, or 1:19800. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

[//I Maps of the District of Columbia and city of Washington and plais of the 
squares and lots of tlie city of Washington. Printed in pursuance of a resolution 

(1G7) 



1G8 M. lUihif — Sarvciji< and Majis, I)is(ru:l af Coltuiihld. 

of tho Soimto of tlio Unitoil Statos. Sm. fol., Wasliiiigtou, iirinteil by A. Boyd 
Hamilton, isr>2.1 

Tliis is map No. 3043 of the C. & G. S. catalogue of charts for 1893, where its date 
i>. irivcii as isoii. Oiiirinal ooppor plate said to bo in possession of the C. & G. S. 

[1792?] EUicott (^Andrew). Plan of the i-ity of \Vasirm,-;t<)ii, in tho 
territory of Cohunbia, ceded by the sUites of Virginia and Maryland to" 
tlie United States of America, and by them established as the seat of 
government after the year MDCCC. Engraved by Sam'l Hill, Boston. 

Size, 17 X 2(1 inches. Scalv, lOi) poles to one inch, or 1:19800. 
Blaok. Engraved on copper. 

Three copies of this map in L. C. Apparently same as preceding, dittering only 
by the added words, " Engraved by Sam'l Hill, Boston." 

[179-?] Reid (I.) Tlan of the city of Washington, in the territory of 
Columbia, ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to the United 
States of America, and by them established as the seat of their govern- 
ment after the year 1800. Rollinson, sculi)., N. York. Publisli'd by I. 
Keid. 

Size, 10 X 21 inches. Scale, 100 poles to one inch, or 1:19800. 

Black. Engraved on copper. 

Evidently a copy of Ellicott's map. Copies seen, L. C. 

[1793 ?] Ellicott (Andrew). Territory of Columbia. Drawn jjy Andw. 
Ellicott. 

Size, 22 X 22 inches. Scale, 2 inches to one mile, or 1:31080, 

Black. Engraved on copper. 

The Only copy of this map known to me is the very yellow and soiled one now in 
the Library of Congress. It was reproduced in 1852, omitting the words, " Drawn 
by Andw. Ellicott." It is the firxt topographic map of the District of Columbia, 
and was the only one down to about 18(50. All the maps of the District of Columbia 
I have seen published between 1793 and 18(11 appear to have been copied from this 
one. 

1793. Bent (W.) Plan of the city of Washington now building for the 
metropolis of America, and established as the permanent residence of 
Congress after the year 1800. B. Baker, sculp. 

size, M)}4 X 133^ inches. 
Black. 

[/« Universal (The) Magazine. S° Loutlon, W. Bent, 171)3, vol. ;i:!, July, 17'J3, 
facing p. 41.] 
Copy seen, L. C. 

1794. Gotha Almanac. Plan <le la ville de Washington en Ameri(jue. 
WeidiuT Jun. del. J. (t. Klinger, sc. Nov. 1704. 

Size, (j X 8 inches. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

[In Gothaisoher Hof. Kalendar zum nutzen und vorgnugon auf des jahr 17'.)5. 
18°. Gotha, bey C. W. Ettinger, 1794, p 9.5.] 

1795. Reid, Wayland, and Smith. Plan of Washington. Published 
by Keid, Wayland, and Smith, 1795. 

Not seen. Title from sale catalogue. 



List of the Maps of the District. 100 

1795. Griffith (Dennis). Map of the state of Maryland laid down from 
an actual survey of all the principal waters, public roads and divisions 
of the counties therein ; describing the situation of the cities, towns, 
villages, houses of worship and other public buildings, furnaces, forges, 
mills and other remarkable places ; and of the Federal territory ; as 
also a sketch of the state of Delaware ; shewing the probable connexion 
of the Chesapeake and Delaware bays ; by Dennis Griffith, June 20tli, 
1794. Engraved by J. Thackara & J. Vallance. Philada. Published 
June 6th, 1795, by J. Vallance, engraver. No. 145 Spruce street. Sub- 
title, " Plan of the city of Washington and Territory of Columbia." 

JSize, 16 X 16 inches. Scale, 200 poles to au inch, or 1:39600. 
Blaclc. Engraveii on copper. 

Apparently copied from Ellieott's map of the District of Columbia, 1703, Copies 
seen, G. S. 

1798. Dermott (James R.) The Dermott or tin case map of the city of 
Washington, 1797-8. Prepared by James R. Dermott, who was in- 
structed by the commissioners, June 15, 1795, to prepare a plat of the 
city. The resulting map was sent to Pres't Adams June 21, 1798. 

Size, 54 X 62 inches. Scale, aljout 8 inches to one mile, or 1:1160. 
Black. Photolithograph. 

Republished by the C. & G. S. in 1888. It is No. 3035/j of the C. & G. S. chart cata- 
logue of 1893. Copies seen, G. S. 

1800. Weld (Isaac, Jr.) Plan of the city of Washington. Published 
by J. Stockdale, Picadilly, 16th Sepr., 1798. 

Size, 7x9 inches. Scale, IJ^ inches to one mile, or 1:50688. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

[In Weld (Isaac, Jr.) Travels through the states of North America, etc. By 
Isaac Weld, Jr. 3d ed., in 2 vols. 8°, London, J. Stockdale, 1800, vol. 1, p. 80.J 

1302. Moore (S. S.) and Jones (T. W.) Plan of Washington to accom- 
pan5'- the traveller's guide. No title or scale. 

Size, 4 .X 6 inches. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

[Ill Moore (S. S.) and Jones (T. W.) The traveller's directory, etc. 12°, Philadel- 
phia, M. Carey, 1802, map 23.] 

[180-?] King (Robert). A map of the city of Washington, in the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, established as the permanent seat of the government 
of the United States of America, taken from actual surveys as laid out 
on the ground by Rt. King, surveyor of the city of Washington. En- 
graved by C. Schwarz, Washn. 

Size, 24 X 31 inclies. Scale, 53<i inches to one mile, or about 1:12000. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

Has two views: CD South front of the President's house; (2) East front of the 
Capitol of the United States. Copies seen, L. C. 

1815. -Warden (D. B.) Territory of Columbia. Drawn by Andw. Elli- 
cott. Engraved by P. A. F. Tardieu, Paris, 1815. 

Size, 11 X 11 inches. Scale, 0.07 inches to one mile, or 1:65000. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

[In Warden (D. B.) Aehorographical and statistical description of the District of 
Columbia, etc. 8°, Paris, 1816, ad in.'] 
A reduced copy of Ellieott's map. Copies seen, L. C. 



170 31. Baker — Surueys and Maps, Dldrki of Colatahla. 

1816. Winder Ofi'l^'i- II.) Xo title or «cak'. 

size, 10 X 1;")!^ inelies. 

[In Roiiiiirks on a paniplilet enlitleii "An cni|uiry rosixjcting tlio ciipluro of VVasli- 
iiigtou l)y tlip Britisli on tlio 24tli of August, ISU, witli &o. By SpccUitor (UuUr II. 
Winder). 8°, Hiiltiniore, J. Robinson, 1810.] 

K criule diiigrani of the country l^etween Blailensbni-g and Mt. Virnon and 
between Georgetown and Patuxent river. Copie.s seen, L. C. 

1820. Force (Peter). A correct map of the city of Washington, capital 
of the United States of America. Lat., :}8° 53^ N. ; long., 0° 0^ En- 
graved l)y W. I. Stone, Washn. [LS21)]. p]ntered according to act of 
Congress on the 31th (sic) ilay of January, IS'JO, hy Peter Force, of the 
District of Colunihia. 

Size, \iS% X 21% inches. Scale, 100 poles to one iiicli, or 1:19800. 
Bhiek. Engraved on copper. 

[/n Force (Peter.) A national ealeiidar for 1820. By Peter Force. 18°, Washn., 
1820, ad fin.'] 

Contains vicw.s: (1) West front of Capitol; (2) Nortli front of President's house. 
Two copies in L. C. 

1823. Brennan (John). Map of the city of Washington. Puhlished hy 
John Brennan, 1828. Drawn hy F. C. De Kratft, city surveyor. En- 
graved hy INIrs W. I. Stone. 

Size, lij><2 X 213^ inches. Scale, about :5.17 inches, equal to one niilf , or 1:18300. 

Black. Engraved on copper. 
Copies seen, L. C. 

1830. Bussard (William). A map of Georgetown, in the District of 
Colunihia, hy William Bussard, 1830. Engd. by W. Harrison, Washn. 
Size, 24 X 27 inches. Scale, 100 yards to an inch, or 1:3600. 
Very ragged, worn, and yellow copy in office of city surveyor. Another copy 
owned by W. II. Lowdermilk. 

1846. McClelland (David). Map of the city of AVashington, established 
as the permanent seat of the Government of the United States of 
America, 1846. Engraved and published by D. McClelland. 

Size, 11 .X 17X inches. Scale, 15 inches to one mile, or 1:31130. 
Black. Engraved on copper. 

.\ siib-sketch consists of a reduced copy of Ellicott's map of tlie District of Co- 
lumbia of 1793. Scale, 3% inches, equal to 10 miles, or 1:188000. Copies seen, L. C. 

1851. Van Derveer (Lloyd). Map of the t-ity of Washington, D. C, 
established as the permanent seat of the Ciovcrnment of tlie U. S. of 
Am. James Keily, surveyor. Lloyd Van Derveer, publisher, Camden, 
N. Jersey, 1851. 

Size, 30 X 42 inciies. Scale, (1% inoluis to one mile, or 1:9750. 

Colored, glazed, on roller. 

Contains views of (1) Capitol, (2) President's hou-se, (3) Greenough's statue of 
Washington, (4) Patent Office, (5) Observatory, (6) Monument. (7) City Hall, (8) Gen. 
eral Vo<\, Office, (D) Smithsonian Institution, (10) Treasury Department, and (II) 
Statistics from census of IS.iO. Alsocoutain.S sub-sketch of the District of Columbia 
from Ellicoit's map. Copies seen, L. C. 



List of the Map ^ of the I) isf rid. 171 

1852. U. S. Senate. Territory of Columbia. 

Size, 22 X 22 inche?. Scale, 2 inches to one mile, or 1:31680. 

Black. Engraved on stone ? 

[In Maps of tlie District of Columbia and city of Washington and plats of the 
squares and lots of the city of Washington. Printed in puri^uance of a resolution 
of the Senate of the United States. Sm. fol., Washing;ton, printed Ijy A. Boyd 
Hamilton, ]8o2.] 

This is a r«»production of Ellieott's map of 1793. Copies seen, L. C, C. S., G S., 
and engineer's oflBce, War Dept. 

1852. U. S. Senate. ]Map of the city of Washington, in the District of 
Columbia, established as the permanent seat of the government of the 
United States of America. W. J. Stone, sc, Washn. 

Size, 20 X .31 inches. Scale, 5 3-lG inches to one mile, or l:lr^^OO. 

Black. Engraved on copper. 

[/n Maps of the District of Columbia and city of Washington and plats of the 
squares and lots of the city of Washington. Printed in pursuance of a resolution 
of the Senate of the United States. Sm. fol., Washington, A. Boyd Hamilton, 1852.] 

This is chart or map No, 3036 of the C. & G. S. catalogue of charts for 18ti3, where 
the date of the chart is given as 18G3. 

1852. U. S. Senate. 

Reproduction of Ellieott's map of [1702?], which is No. 3043 of the C. & G S. chart 
catalogue, 1893. 

1357. Boschke (Albert). Map of Washington city, District of Colum- 
bia, seat of the Federal government. Respectfully dedicated to the 
Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of North 
America. Surveyed and published by A. Boschke, C. E., 1857. 

Size. 56 .X 60 inches. Scale, 500 feet to one inch, or 1:6000. 
Colored. Lithograph of J. Bien, 00 Fulton St., N. Y. 

Copyright, 1857, by A. Boschke. Ornamental border and 18 marginal pictures. 
An original and excellent map. The best map of Washington, in my judgment, 
that has ever been made. Copies seen, L. C. and C. S. 

1858. Bohn (Casimir). Map of the city of Washington, established as 
the permanent seat of the government of the United States of America. 
1858. Published by C. Bohn. Copyright by C. Bohn, 1858. 

.^ize, 13 X 17 inches. Scale, 2 15-10 inches to one mile, or 1:!31600. 
Black. Engraved on copper ? 

{In Bohn (Casimir.) Handbook of Washington, etc. 10°, Washington, ISGOi 
ad flnl\ 
This is a rcpi-oduction of McClelland's map of 1840. Copies seen, L. C. 

1861. Boschke (Albert). Topographical map of the District of Colum- 
bia, surveyed in the years 1856, '57,. '58 & '59 by A. Boschke. Pub- 
lished by D. McClelland. Blanchard & Mohun, Washington, D. C, 
1861. Engraved by D. McClelland, Washington, D. C. Copyright, 
1861, by D. McClelland, Blanchard & INIohun, Hugh B. Sweeney and 
Thos. Blagden. 

Size, 40 X 40 inciies. Scale, 4 inches to one mile, or 1:1584:0. 

Black. Engraved on copper. 

The first contour topographic map of the District of Columbia. An excellent 
map. The original copper plates seized by the United States in 1861 and now in 
possession of the War Department. Electroplate copies in possession of the C. & 
G. S. Copies seen, G. S., C. S., and Morrison's boolvstore. 



172 -1/. Baker — Survey!^ and ^faj).'<, [)txfricl of ('nhunhUi. 

1862. McDowell (( iencral Irviii). Siirvt\vs for militiiry dcfi'iiscs. Majt 
of N. (.'astern Vir>iinia ami vicinity of Wasliiii'^toii, coiiipilod in Idjii)- 
{jraphii-al eiii^ineer'.s oliice, at division liead'inartors of (u-neral Iivin 
IMcDowell, Arlington, January 1, 18()2, from published and manuscript 
niap.s corrci-terl by recent surveys and reconnais-.inces. ]*]ngraved on 
stone ])y J. Schedler, No. 120 Pearl St., N. Y. 

size, .jO .V 1)7 inches. Scale, one incli to tlip mile, or I:(j33i»1). 
Bhick. Lithograph. 

13S2. Colton (G. Woolwortli). Topou'raphical mai) of the original Dis- 
trict of Cohunbia ami cnviron.s: showing the fortifications around tiie 
city of Washington. By E. G. Arnold, C. K. rnblishcd by G. Wool- 
worth Colton, 18 Beekman St., New York, 1S()2. Copyright l)y -Vrnold, 
1S02. 

size, 32 X 3:5 inehe.s. Scale, 2 infihe,< to one mile, or 1:31680. 
Colored. Lithograph. 

Topography shown by haohures. .\Lainly copied from Bo.schke'.s map. One of 
the maps issued by Colton was seized by order of Secretary Stanton, and this is 
])ri)l)ali'v the one. Copies seen, Ij. C. 

1867. Carpenter (B. D.) Map of tiie roads in Washington county, 
D. C, 1867. B. D. Carpenter, surve3^or of Washington county, D. C. 

size, 31 X 40 inches. Scale, 4 inclies to one mile, or 1:1584:0. 

Black, with certain roads colored. Lithograi>h liy J. P. Gedney, 303 Pennsyl- 
vania Ave., Washington. Copies seen, fj. S. 

1868. Wysth (S. D.) Map of tl\e city of Wasliingtcjn, District of 

C(tluud)ia. 

size, X 7% inches. Scale, none. 
Purple. 

[In Wyetli (S. D.) The Federal city, etc. 3d cd., 8°, Washington, D. C, Gibson 
Brothers, 1808, pp. 34, 35.] 
Very crude and poor. Copies seen, L. C. 

1868. Johnson (A. J.) Johnson's Washington and Georgetown, i>ub- 
lislied by A. J. Johnson, New York. Copyright 1868. 

size, 13 X 17 inches. Scale, 2 9-10 inches to one mile, or 1:34700. 
Colored. 

[In .Johnson's new illustrated famil3' atlas of the world, etc, fob, Niiw York, 
A. J. Johnson & Co., ISS'i, map 48.] 

1870. Forsyth (William). Plan of the city of Washington, in the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, established as the permanent seat of government oi 
the United States, extended to embrace its suburban towns, vilhiges, 
&c, and the city of Georgetown, and showing original and other valu- 
able data not to be found on anj'^ maps heretofore i)ublished. Also a 
diagram of the avenues, showing their true courses and distances, and 
a plan of Alexandria. By William Forsyth, formerly surveyor of 
Washington city. 1870. Copyright 1870. 

size, GO X OS inches, in six sheets. Scale, ."JOO feet to one inch, or 1:6000. 

Colored, glazed, on rollers. Photolith. by the N. Y. Lithographing, Kngraving k 
Printing Co. ; Julius Bien, sup't. 

There are said to bo two editions of this map Copies seen, city surveyor's 
otliee and L. C. 



Lid of lite Maps of the District. 173 

[1872.] Forsyth (William). Map of Georgetown, in the District of Co- 
lumbia, prepared from surveys and other data under an act of the legis- 
lature approved Deer. 2,Sth, 1S71. Wm. Forsj-th, surveyor District of 
Columbia. 

Size, 47 -x 56 inches. Scale, 200 feet to one inch, or 1:34:00. 
Colored, glazed, on rollers. 
Copies seen, city surveyor's office. 

1872. Petersen (A.) and Enthoffer (J.) Map of the city of Washington, 
sliowing the subdivisions, grades, and the general configuration of the 
ground in equidistances from 5 to 5 feet altitude. Compiled, with the 
assistance of the city sur., P. H. Donegan, by A. Bastert and J. Enthoffer. 
Published by A. Petersen and J. Enthoffer, of 'the U. S. Coast Survey, 
1872. For sale by Philip & Solomons. 

Size, 86 X 106 inches. Scale, 250 feet to one inch, or 1:3000. 

Black. Engraved on copper. 

Copies seen, F. W. Pratt, Sun building. 

1873. Enthoffer (J.) Map of the city of Washington, showing the pro- 
gress of buildings up to October 1st, 1873. Compiled 1)y J. Enthoffer, 
top. engineer. Copyright, 1873. 

size, 22 X 25 inches. Scale, 1,000 feet to one inch, or 1:1'3000. 
Pliotograpli. 

May never have been pulilished. Has 10-foot contours, and classifies buildings 
as " houses, shanties, churches." Copies seen, L. C. 

1874. Faehtz (E. F. M.) and Pratt (F. W.) Sketch of Washington in 
embryo, viz. , previous to its survey by Major L'Enfant. Compiled from 
the rare historical researches of Dr Joseph M. Toner, who by special 
favor has permitted the use of his labor and materials for the publica- 
tion of a grand historical map of this District now in progress bj' his 
efforts, combined with the skill of S. R. Seibert, C. E. Compilers, E. F. 
M. Faehtz & F. AV. Pratt, 1874. 

Size, 16 X 21 inches. Scale, about 33^ inches to one mile, or 1:18500. 
Black. Photolith. by N. Peters, Washington, D. C. 

{In Faehtz (E. F. M.) and Pratt (F. W.) Washington in embryo, etc, fob, Wash- 
ington, 1874, facing p. 32.] 
Copies seen, L. C. 

1882. Ward (Lester Frank). Map of Washington and vicinity. I're- 
pared in the office of the U. S. Geological Survey, 1882. 

Size, 24 X 30 Inches. Scale, about 0.58 inches to one mile, or 1:109000. 
Black. Photolithograph. 

{In Ward (L. F.) Guide to the flora of Washington and vicinity, being Bu lletin 22, 
U. S. National IVTuseum. 8°, Washington, 1882.] 

1882. U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Washington and George- 
town harbors. District of Columbia, 1882. 

Size, 18 X 29 inches. Scale, 4 inches to one mile, or 1:15840. 
Colored. Photolithograph. 

This is C. S. chart 301a, issued July, 1882. Drawn by A. and H. Lindenkohl. Land, 
buff; water, green, and city, shaded ; has 10-foot contours. 
24— Nat. Gkog. Mag., voi,. VI, 1894. 



1 I I .1/. I>iihr — Snrrrys (ind Mdpx. ]>/stricf (>( ( oln mhia. 

1882. Boyd ( Williaiu II.) I'.oy.l's map of tlie city of Wasliiii-tdii and 
sal)arl)y, Di.strict of Coluinl)ia, 1SS2. I'liblislu'il 1)y AVm. 11. I'oyd, 
directory imlilislicr, Washington, 1). C Coi)yriglit LSSL'. 

Size, 1.') X l,s inohes. Scale, 1,000 feet to one inch, or ItS^SOO. 
lihuU IMiiitulitlioirnipli liy .Am. I'hotolitli. Co.. New York. 

1884. Commissioners, District of Columbia. To])ogra|ihical map of 
the Di.strict of CohimMa and a portion of Virginia, compiled under the 
direction of Major (i. J. Lydecker, corp.s of engineers, Engineer Coni- 
mi.s.sioner, D. C. By Captain F. V. Greene, corps of engineers, 18S4. 
Drawn by W. T. O. Bruff. 

Size, :^1 .\ -21 inches. Scale, 2 inches to one mile, or 1:31G80. 

Black. Lithograph by .IiiliiLs Bien & Co., New Yorlv. 

Contour interval, 20 feet. Copie.s seen. District Commissioner.s' office and G. S. 

1884. Commissioners, District of Columbia. Tuiiographical niapnf 
the District of Columbia and a jjortiou of Virginia, compiled under the 
direction of Major G. J. Lydecker, corps of engineers. Engineer Com- 
missioner of the D. of C, by Cai)tain F. V. Greene, corps of engineers, 
188-1. Drawn by W. T. O. brnlf. 

Size, 41 X 11 inclies. Scale, 4 inches to one mile, or 1:15840. 
Lithograph by .Juliu.s Bien & Co , New York. 

A contour map. Contour interval, 20 feet. Culture, black; water, blue; con- 
tours, brown. Copies .seen, Eq. Co-op. BIdg. Ass'n, 1003 F St., and G. S. 

1884. Stewart (James M.) Map of the city of Washington, in the 
District of Columbia, showing the lines of the various properties at the 
division with the original j^n'oprietors in 1792. 

Size, 24 X .32 inches. Scale, 5 .3-11! inches to one mile, or l:l^::iOO. 

Colored. Lithograph. 

Copyrighted by James M. Stewart, Washington, D. C, 1S84. F. Bourqnin, .31 S. 
Sixth St., Phiiadclphia. 

Copies seen, Office of Commissioner of Public Buildings and (Jroumls and rent 
estate office of Weller & Repetti, 400 Pa. .\vc. .S. E. 

1886. U. S. Geological Survey. District of Columbia and adjoining 
territory, being the Washington sheet of the general topographic map 
of the United States. Surveyed and compiled by J. D. Hoffman and 
D. J. Howell in 1885-(5, under the direction of Henry Gannett, U. S. 
(leological Survey. 

Size, 19 X 28 inches. Scale, about one mile to one inch, or 1:63.'»00. 
Engraved on copper. Printed in 3 colors : culture, black ; water, blue; contours; 
brown. Contour interval, 20 feet. 

1886. Warner (B. H.) !'.. II. Warnt'r i*c Co.'s ma]), sliowiiig a bird's- 
eye view of the city of Washington and suburbs. Locating the public 
buildings and ])laces of interest. Co})yright, 188(), by B. II. Warner & 
Co. Prepared by A. G. Gedney, Post building, Washington, D. C. 

Size, 20 .\ 26 inches. Scale, none. 

Black. Photolithograph. 

Compromise between a view and a map. 



Lid of the Mapa of the Dhtrld. 175 

1887. Engineer Department, District of Columbia. Map of the city 
of Washington for use of the engineer department, District of Cohun- 
bia, 1887. 

Size, 38 X .38 inches, in two .sheet.s. Scale, about 850 feet to one inch, or l;lor-iOO. 
Blaelc. Photolithograph by Norris Peter.s, Washington, D. C. 
Copies seen, G. S. and District Commissioners' office. 

1887. Silversparre (Axel). Map of Washington, D. C, and environs, 
witii marginal numbers and measuring tape attachment for instantly 
locating points of interest within a radius of twenty miles from the 
Capitol. Compiled [etc] by Axel Silversparre, C. E. Published by 
K. E. Whitman, Wasliington, D. C. Copyrighted, 1887. 

Size, 25 X 30 inches. Scale, l.fioo feet to one inch, or 1:19'-J00. 

Colored. 

Copies seen, L. C. and G. S. 

1339. Commissioners, District of Columbia. Topographical map of 
the District of Columbia and a portion of Mrginia, revised and corrected 
under the direction ef Major Chas. W. Raymond, corps of engineers, 
Engineer Commissioner, D. C. By Captain T. W. Symons, corps of 
engineers, 1889. Drawn by W. T. O. Bruff. 

Size, 41 X 41 inclies. Scale, 4 inches to one mile, or 1:1584:0. 

Colored. Lithograph by Juliiiti Bien &, Co., N. Y. 

This is a revised edition of the Lydeeker-Greene map of 1884. Copies seen, G. S. 

1889. Evening Star. Map of the city of Washington, with compliments 
of the Evening Star. Souvenir of March 4th, 1889. Showing route of 
inaugural parade. 

Size, 17 X 23 inches. Scale, about 3 8-10 inches to one mile, or 1:16500. ' 

Black. Photolithograph by Bell Bros., Washington, D. C. 
Copies seen, G. S. and Tont-r collection in L. C. 

1891. Fisher (Thos. J.j & Company. ]Map of the city of Washington, 
District of Columbia, and adjacent portions of Maryland and Virginia. 
Prepared and presented with compliments of Thos. J. Fisher and Co., 
real estate brokers, Washington, D. C. Prepared by W. Kesley Schoepf, 
civil and topographical engineer, Sun building, Washington, D. C, 1891. 
Copyrighted, 1891, by Fisher & Co. 

Size, 27 X 34 inches. Scale, 1:^57000. 

Black. Lithograph by Bell Litho. Co., Washington, D. C. 

1891. Fisher (Thos. J. ) & Company. Map of the District of Columbia 
and adjacent portions of jNIaryland and Virginia, prepared especially for 
and presented with compliments of Thos. J. Fisher and Co., real estate 
brokers, Washington, D. C, 1891. Prepared by W. Kesley Schoepf, 
civil and topographical engineer, Washington, D. C. 

Size, 45 X 57 inches Scale, 1,000 feet to one inch, or I:l!i000. 
Colored, glazed, on rollers. 

E. H. Berry, del. Bell Litho. Co., Washington, D. C. Copies seen, city surveyor's 
office. 



J7<'> J/. Iliihcr — Siirrci/s (iiiil JA'y.s, Pislrirl >if ( '(ilitinhhi. 

1891, Holtzroaii (R. ().) I'rcsciitcil l)y 1!. O. llolt/.man, real estate ami 
in.surance l)ruker, Trntli and F t^treet^i N. W. Copyright, 1S!»1. 

Slie, 17 X 111 inches. Sculv, about -2% iiiclics to one iiiiU-, or U'i'ZOOO, 

Cnido pliutolitliogrHi)li. 

No tille. A real-estiile adverlisinf? miifi. 



1891. Hopkins ((J. :\I.) INIapoftlu' Dist rict of C.plninl.ia. IVuin ullicial 
records and actnal snrvcys. ral)lislK'd l)y(i. M. llopkin.^, C". K., ."H'O 
Walnut St., riiiUuk'li.hia," Pa., 1891. Ct)i)yright, ISill. 

size, !>'.} X i'A iiKtlies. Scale, 800 feet to one iiicli, or l:'JOO<). 
Colored. 



1891. U. S. War Department. V. y. Coast and ( Jeodctic Survey. A. D. 
Bache, suj)'t. ^lup of the ground oc'('Ui)ation and defense of the division 
of the U. S. army in Virginia in coniniand of Brig. Gen. Irvin Mcd)o\vell, 
Topographical survey by the party in ciiarge of H. L. Whiting, ass't. 
U. S. C. S, Field-work executed during parts of June and July, 1861. 
By F. W. Dorr and C. Rockwell, U. S. C. S. Julius Bien & Co., lith., 
New York. 

size, 1(3 X 17 inclies. Scale, 1:41500. 

Culture, black ; water, blue; contours, Iuovmi ; timber, gri^pn. Contour interval, 
20 feet. 

[In Atlas to accompany the official records of the Union and Confederate armies, 
1861-1805. Published under the direction of the Hon. Redfield Proctor, Secretary 
of War, etc, fol., Washington, 1891, part 2, plate C] 



1891. U. S. War Department. Surveys for military defenses. ]\lap 
of northeastern A'irginia and vicinity of Washington, compiled in topo- 
graphical engineer's office at division headquarters of General Irvin 
McDowell, Arlington, January 1, 18(j2. Corrected from recent surveys 
and reconnaissances under direction of the Bureau of Topograi)hical 
Engiiuiers, August 1, 1862. Drawn by J. J. Young and W. Hesselhach. 

Size, 17 X 27 inrlies. Scale, 2 miles to one incli, or lilUGTZO. 

Colored. Lithograph by Julius Bien & Co., New Yorli. 

[hi Atlas to accompany the official records of the Union and Confederate armies, 
1801-1805. Fol., Washington, 1891, part 2, plate 7.] 



1892. Van Hook (J. C. &.C. G.) INIap and guide to Washington, D. C. 
Compiled and published by J. C. and C. G. Van Hook, National rnion 
building, i»18 F St. N. W., Washington, D. C, 18!>2. 

size, 18 X 25 inches. Scale, H'^ inches to one mile, or 1:IG900. 
Colored. Photolitliograph by A. B. (Jraham, Washiugto.i, U. C. 



Li fit of ihe Mupi^ of the District. 



1 



i i 



1892. District of Columbia National Guard. Map of the District of 
Colunil)ia and vicinity, showing the principal points of interest, inchid- 
ing the present condition of the defenses of Washington. Compiled 
from the latest maps and from original surveys and reconnaissances 
by the engineering platoon of the Engineer Corps, D. C. N. G. F. L. 
Averill, C. E., tirst lieut., com'd'g platoon, 1892. Copyright, 1892, by 
F. L. Averill. 

Size, 20 X 25 inches. Scale, about 13^ inches to one mile, or 1:40000. 
Black. Photolithograph by A. B. Graham, Washington, I). C. 

1892. Howell (David Janney). Index map to Washington county plans, 
District of Columbia. From official records, by D. J. Howell, civil 
engineer and landscape architect, National Union building, Washing- 
ton, D. C. Under act of Congress approved Jan'y 24th, 1891, by au- 
thority of Commissioners, D. C. Matthew Trimble, assessor, January 
1st, 1892. 

Size, 47 X 5.=) inches. Scale, 8i)0 feet to one inch, or 1:9600. 
Colored. Photolithograph by Bell Litli. Co., AVashington. 



1893. Fisher (Thos. J.) & Company. Map of the District of Colund>ia 
and adjacent portions of INIaryland and Virginia. Prepared especially for 
and presented with compliments of Thos. J. Fisher and Co., real estate 
l)rokers, Washington, D. C, 1893. Prepared by W. Kesley Schoepf, 
civil and topographical engineer, Washington, D. C. Copyrighted, 1893. 

Size, .5G X 69 laches. Scale, 4% inches to one mile, or 1:13000. 
Colored, glazed, on rollers. 

1894. Coast and Geodetic Survey " District of Columbia. Surveyed 
between 1880 and 1892. Published Sei>t., 1894. The contour interval 
is 10 feet. The datum plane is 0.807 feet above half tide level of the 
Potomac river." 

Size of each sheet, 25 x 34 inches. Scale, 800 feet to one inch, or 1:9600. 

Black. Photolithograph. In five sheets. 

This is the first published map resulting Irom the careful and detailed surveys 
mentioned on pp. 158, 159. It shows in great detail all tlie present Di.strict, except 
the city. 

The sheets have two series of numbers as follows : 

North East 

No. ;«KU = Sheet No. 1. 
No. 30G2 = " No. 2. 
No. 3063 = " No. 3. 
No. 3064 = " No. 4. 
No. .3066 = " No. 6. 
And are distribuied as shown in the annexed cut. 



1 


a 


3 


4 




6 



l-Vest 



South 



IT'S M. lidLcr — N///'/'('//.s <ui(l Maps, Didrid of Colniubin. 

[1894. J United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Topographical 
map of the Di.strirt of CoUuiibia. Slieet No. 1. Scale, 1:4800. The 
contour interval is 5 feet. The datura plane is 0.807 feet above half-tide 
level of the Potomac river. 

size, ]:> X 10 inches. Scalr, 400 I'oet to an int,li, or 1:4800. 

Engraved upon copper by Evans and Bartle, Wasliington, D. C. Printed liy the 
Norris Peters Lith. Co., Wasliington, D. C. 

In four colors, viz., culture, black; drainage, blue; contours, brown, and wood- 
land, green. 

The above is one sheet of the very elaborate map begun by the Coast Survey in 
188(1. It covers one square mile, and 100 such are required to cover the original 
District of Colum>)ia. Under the scheme of numbering now adopted the District 
is divided into 100 squares bylines parallel to its boundaries. The nortlieastern 
row of ten sheets is numbered from the northern corner to tiie eastern corner 1 to 
10; the second row, 11 to 20 ; the third, 21 to 30, and so on. Some 30 to 35 of these 
sheets are said to be now engraved, but none are published. The compiler has 
seen proofs of sheets 1, 2, 22, and i!2. 

.Another series of sheets preceded the above described. This other series con- 
sists of photolithographs, black, made from drawings by J. A. Flemer and E. H. 
Fowler. The method of designating them has been changed from time to time, 
leaving the whole in confusion. Sheets have been designated " Section No 10 W.," 
"Section D, Sheet No. 1," and also by numbers, such numbers not agreeing with 
these now in use. These sheets are 15 by 18 inches, and about 15 of them have Ijeen 
issued. 



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